Portable power operated planer



Sept. 7, 1954 G. W. SU LLIVAN PORTABLE POWER OPERATED PLANER Filed July 22, 1953 Patented Sept. 7, 1954 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 8 Claims.

This invention relates to power driven wood or like surface finishing machines and more particularly to hand planing machines.

Wood planing machines are well known and even some attempts have been made to design and produce portable types, i. e., ones that are held by the hands and moved over the surface to be processed. The objection, however, to such portable machines is that they are most ineflicient due to the wheel supporting means rolling over the material cut from the surface, thereby lowering or raising the machine relative to the surface and making for an uneven surface finish. Furthermore, such portable planers are unable to closely approach corners, jams, and like, when such are present.

Therefore, the principal object of my invention is to provide a portable planer that will produce a straight, flat finish surface.

A still further object of my invention is to provide a portable planer that can be used closely adjacent corners, jams, and other projections that may be present.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a portable planer that is economical in manufacture, refined in appearance, and durable in use.

These and other objects will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

My invention consists in the construction, arrangement, and combination of the various parts of the device, whereby the objects contemplated are attained as hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in my claims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of my portable planer ready for use,

Fig. 2 is a cross sectional view of the planer taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1, and

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of my planer taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 2 and more fully illustrates its construction.

In these drawings I have used the numeral ID to designate the planer housing which is open at its bottom and tapers in height as it extends rearwardly. The sides of this inverted housing are vertical as shown in the drawings and it has a horizontal longitudinal slit opening I l, in its rear end for the escape and passage of material removed from the surface being treated. The numeral l2 designates the planer rotor having blades or cutting fins [3. This cutting element is rotatably mounted longitudinally within the housing I and is rotatably supported by the side plates of the housing H). The radially extending blades l3 extend sufiiciently to cut a path below the housing Ill by contact with the surface to be finished. In the drawings, I have used the numeral M to designate such a surface. These blades 13 extend from one side of the housing I0 to the other side of the housing l0, so that the tool will work closely adjacent jams, corners, and like. The numeral I5 designates an electric motor operatively connected to the cutting rotor 12 and secured to the side of the housing II] by suitable means. Obviously, when the motor I5 is running, the cutting unit of the planer will be rotated. The numeral 16 designates a pistol type grip on the motor [5 and which extends transversely of the longitudinal axis of the device. A like handle I! is placed on the upper rear of the housing Ill. Inasmuch as both of these handles l6 and I! extend transversely of the longitudinal axis of the device, the tool is easily grasped, maneuvered and handled by the operator. On the forward end of the housing 10, I have provided a spring loaded supporting caster. Any type of caster may be used and may be adjustable or merely under spring tension. In the drawings I show a housing [8 vertically slidably containing a non-rotatable shaft I 9. The numeral 2B designates a supporting wheel on the lower end of the member IS. The numeral 2| designates a shaft extending upwardly from the member l9 and through the housing 18. The numeral 22 designates a coil spring inside the housing [8 and bearing downwardly on the member [9. A limiting adjusting head 23 may be screwed onto the upper end of the shaft 2|. Inasmuch as the wheel 20 extends below the forward bottom edge of the housing II], the tool will be held properly above the surface l4. ever, inasmuch as the wheel 20 is spring loaded, any downward pressure on the housing I0 during the operation of the device, will compress the spring 22 and permit the cutting knife blades [3 to penetrate the surface to be treated to a greater depth.

One of the most important phases of this invention, however, is the rotatable supporting of the rear end portion of the tool. With the tool operating over a surface, the material such as sawdust, shavings, and like, will be thrown to the rear of the housing I0, and directly onto the surface and any supporting rollers at the rear portion of the machine. To solve this problem, I have mounted a shaft 24 in the rear portion of the housing I0, and transverse of the forth and back movement of the tool during operation. On this shaft 24, I mount a plurality of disk-type rollers 3 25. Each of these disk wheels 25 is relatively thin, but more important their marginal edge portions are sharpened as shown in Fig. 3. By spacing these rollers 25 apart from each other, the device will be prevented from lateral tipping moments. By having the edges of the members 25 sharpened, they will cut through loose materials on the surface [4 and ride directly on the surface [4. With the sharpened edges of the disk rollers engaging and rolling on the surface [4, the tool will move straight and level across the surface and its rear end portion will not be moving upwardly and downwardly as would be the case if wheels or broad rollers were used and which had to roll over sawdust, chips, and other like materials removed from the planed surface by the cutting unit. Furthermore, due to the largeareas between the disk rollers 25, material may easily be blown therethrough and out the back of the Y 1 housing. Also due to the wedge marginal sharp edge portions of the disk rollers 25, the material will pass to each side of the same and not'be caught and lodged thereon. With my tool, the same can easily be moved forth and back over the surface to be planed and dueprimaril'y to the construction of the disk roller wheels -25, the surface will be straight, smooth and void of ripples.

Some changes may be made inthe construction and arrangement of my portable-planer without departing fromthe real spirit and purpose of my invention, and it is my intention to cover by my claims, any modified forms of structure or use of mechanical equivalents which may be'reasonably included within their scope.

I claim:

1. In a surface processing tool, a housing open at its bottom, a cutting element rotatably mounted in said housing, a power means connected to said cutting element, a, shaft secured to said housing and to the rear of said cutting element, a plurality of disk wheels on said shaft each having its tread edge portion wedge shaped, and a spring loaded wheel support operatively "connected to said housing forwardof said cutting element.

*2. In a portable planing tool, a housing, a cutting roller rotatably mounted in said housing capable of cutting an arc below-said housing,'a power means 'operatively connected to said cutting roller, and a plurality of disc wheels to the rear of the cuttingroller supporting at least'a portion of said housing with each disc wheel having its marginal edge portion sharpened to divide and cut through any material coming from the planing tool to the surface of'the object being planed thereby insuring smoothlevelplaning by the planing tool.

3. In a portable planing tool,--a housing open at its bottom and having vertical side walls, a rotatable cutting unit rotatably mounted insaid housing and extending from theinside ofone side wall to the inside of the other side wall, a power means secured to said housing operatively connected to said rotatable cutting unit, and wheel elements to the rear of the cutting unit for supporting said housing above a surface; some of said wheel units being relatively thin with their track edges sharpened and wedge shaped, to divide and cut through any material coming from'the planing tool to the surface of the object being planed thereby insuring smooth level .planingby the planing tool.

4. In a portable planing tool, a housing open at its bottom and having vertical side walls, a rotatable cutting unit rotatably mounted in said housing and extending from the inside of one side wall to the inside of the other side wall, a power means secured to said housing operatively connected to said rotatable cutting unit, wheel elements to the rear of the cutting unit for supporting said housing above a surface; some of said wheel units being relatively thin with their track edges sharpened and wedge shaped to divide and cut through any material coming from the planing tool to the surface of the object being planed thereby insuring smooth level planing by the planing tool, a handle on said power means, and

a handle member on said housing.

-5. Ina surface processing tool, a housing open at its bottom, a cutting element rotatably mounted-in said housing, a power means connected to said cutting element, a shaft secured to said housing and to the-rear of said cutting element, and a'plurality of disc wheels on said shaft each having its tread edge portion wedge shaped, to divide and cut through any material coming from the planing tool to the surface of the object-being planed thereby insuring'smo'oth level planing by the'planing tool.

6. In a-surface processing tool, a housing open at its bottom, a cutting element rotatablymounted in said housing, a power means connected to said cutting element, a shaft-secured to said housing and to the rear of said cutting element, and:a plurality of spaced apart disc wheels each havin its peripheral edgepo'rtion'sharpened and wedge shaped, to divide and cut through any material coming from the planing tool to the surface of the object being planed-thereby insuring smooth level planing by the planingtool.

7. In a surface processing tool, a housing open at its bottom, a cutting element rotatably mounted in'said housing, -apower means connectedio said cutting element, a shaft secured to said housing and to the rear of said cutting element, a plurality of disc wheels on said shaft each having its tread edge portionwedge shaped to divide and cut throug-hany materialcoming from'the planing tool to the surface of the object being planed thereby insuring smooth level. planing by the planing tool, a handle member onsaid power means,- and a handle on said housing.

8. In a surface processing tool, ahousing open at its bottoima cutting element rotatably mounted in-said housing, a power means connected'to said cutting element, a r shaft secured to said housing and to therear of: said cutting element, apluralityof disc wheels on said shaft each having its tread edge portion-wedge shaped to divide and cut through any material coming from the planing tool tov the surface of the object being planed thereby insuring a smooth level planing by the planing "tool, and a-spring loaded wheel'support operatively connected-tosaid housing forward ofsaid cutting element.

Referencescited in-the file of this patent STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 942,474 veronneau Dec. 7,'1909 9821759 Bogalio Ja'n..24, 1911 1,116,158 swam et a1 Nov. 3, 1914 2,583,637 Draper Jan. 29, 1952 

